To go to 0 volts, depending on where you're taking that measurement, ( battery posts vs. Battery cable clamps), you either have a very bad battery or loose or corroded cables or connections. Even a locked-up starter won't draw a good battery down to 0 volts. You would have around 250 to 300 amps, which is the normal current draw for a starter motor not yet up to full speed. That normally lasts for a fraction of a second, then current drops to less than 150 amps for the remainder of the crank cycle. If the starter is locked up, which typically only happens when the engine is seized, that higher current will be constant and the battery cables will get real hot in a short time.
The clue to this is to put your meter probes right on the center of the battery's posts to take the measurement while trying to crank the engine, not on the cable clamps. If you find voltage stays relatively high during the attempted cranking, move the probes to the cable clamps and try again. If the reading is substantially lower now, one of those two connections is loose or dirty.
Sunday, April 22nd, 2018 AT 6:47 PM